Queen's Speech: Last stand? Hardly. Prepare for the Coalition to carry on

"The Coalition's last stand," said Dennis Skinner in his self-awarded role as the constitution's Gagmeister Pursuivant. How they laughed, briefly. Labour has been pushing the zombie parliament line for all its worth, so much so that it's stuck, even though this legislative programme has more in it that Gordon Brown's last, which ain't bad for a final year. As I said last night, to adopt the zombie analogy is to buy in both to the fashion for deriding institutions, and the Labour critique. But is the Bolsover Beast right?

Arguably, he's not. For a start the programme is a reminder that the Coalition continues to find useful things to do. I don't by that mean the entire programme is worthwhile. As I've said before the Recall Bill is in my view a particular monstrosity, but then both ends of the Coalition have never been averse to a spot of constitutional vandalism if it sorts their internal political issues. That complaint aside, the programme has things in it that are fine. It isn't quite Labour 1945 or the Great Reform Act, but it's perfectly respectable. Given that the Coalition wasn't expected to last, we should at least note that it functions.

Yes, I know the criticisms – that the Lib Dems have 50pc of the votes in the Quad for 9pc of the seats in the Commons, that it's all about grubby horse-trading, etc – but the Coalition's main objective was to provide stable government in difficult times and, whatever you might think of what it has done, it has delivered on that central premise. What's more, there is no evidence that it would not be able to carry on doing so were the general election next year to leave the balance of forces largely unchanged.

As we settle down to the dirty business of general election politics between now and next May, there will be plenty of moments of tension and aggravation between the Lib Dems and the Tories. Nick Clegg will devote great efforts to claiming credit for things the Coalition has done, and will allow his party to distance itself from the Tories and be rude about Mr Cameron. In turn the Tories will talk about ignoring the Lib Dems while seizing any opportunity to do them in. George Osborne and Michael Gove in particular want to secure a Tory majority and will strain every sinew to that end. It is bound to get ugly.

Yet what today reminds us is that the Coalition remains intact, and that nothing has happened so far to make one impossible after next May. The Tories may hate the idea, the Lib Dems may be desperate for it, but if the numbers fall their way, then the issue will not be whether the Coalition can carry on, or whether David Cameron and Nick Clegg can find it in themselves to muddle together in power for another five years, but whether Tory MPs will allow them to. There's what you want, and then there's what you can get. If that makes Dennis Skinner cross, all the better.